Kindergarten Runaway
by Dixie Dewdrop
Summary: Who, but Tony, could have such an unforgettable first day of school?  This is part of my Fate series.
1. Expectancy

Expectancy

Wild with excitement, Tony ran through the living room in a series of circles, his arms out like airplane wings. For added effect he narrated his activity with motor sounds, alternating the volume of his voice. "Whoo, whoo, zoom…"

"Bambino, stop at once- détente ahora!" Maria called from the kitchen, putting the last of their breakfast dishes into the dishwasher. "You will hurt yourself."

Tony paused momentarily to consider her words, then grinned and began trying to run backwards. "Vroom, vroom, I'm a plane up high!"

His father, Special Agent Gibbs, observed Tony's activity as he jogged down the stairs and started to reprimand him.

Instead, grinning, he hurried up behind his little boy and grabbed him, tickling him affectionately before he lifted him to sit on his shoulders.

"Who do you think you are, Charles Lindberg?"

Tony shrieked with laughter and put both hands under his father's chin to lift his face. The little boy smiled down at him, then planted a sloppy kiss on his father's cheek.

"You love me, Daddy," he announced, confident in his claim.

Maria joined them then, drying her hands on her apron. Holding out her arms, she ordered, "Come, come, my baby boy. It is time for you to brush your teeth and get your bookbag."

Jethro lifted him off of his secure perch and handed the child to Maria, and Tony threw his arms around her and covered her with kisses.

"I will go to school now, Abuela mia. Today, today is time for me to get to kindergarten. I will leave you and Daddy all by yourselves and go with the big children."

He practically shook with anticipation and pronounced solemnly. "You will miss me."

Maria glanced at Jethro, trying to halt her sudden onslaught of tears. The agent looked almost as emotional as she, and shook his head hastily. She set Tony down and gently smacked his bottom.

"Upstairs now- Your room must be clean, then we must finish dressing before you go."

Tony scrambled down and raced for the stairs, his little legs pumping to get up to his room as hurriedly as he could. The adults watched his ascent with a mix of emotion. First, they marveled at what a beautiful child he was, though tiny, with stunning green eyes shaded with long lashes, and brown hair streaked with blond.

Then they contemplated the fact that today was the first day- the very first day- that he would leave for school, and would function independently in a classroom. By himself- without them- he would experience the morning without their protection and control.

Though Tony insisted on calling it kindergarten, it was actually a pre school a couple of blocks from the house. He had begged and begged to enroll, thrilled with the notion that school meant babyhood had been left behind.

At four, he had another year to go before he could enroll at the neighborhood kindergarten. This, then, served as the first step in Tony's long road to independence. He would attend the little school, Moppet Academy, three mornings a week, returning to his home at lunchtime.

Gibbs turned to Maria. Raising his eyebrows, he took one hand and gently patted her cheek. "Are you going to be able to handle turning him over to someone else?" He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head in the direction of the upper floor.

Tony's running feet and energetic voice echoed to the downstairs.

Maria sighed and answered honestly, "That I do not know."

The agent smiled and put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her towards him. She hugged back and tilted her head to make eye contact.

"Si, pero I am worried about you, as well."

Gibbs laughed softly and conceded. "You are so right. I can't believe he's going to actually head off to school today." He met her eyes and grinned self consciously.

Maria instantly chided, "No, not real school- he is still the baby, my bambino-"

Hearing what sounded like a crash above them, Gibbs called up the stairs, "Tony, do not run in this house! That is a rule."

In acknowledgement of the reminder, Tony fell to the floor and crawled to the landing in his best imitation of a puppy. He barked, panted down at both of them, and then sat up in a facsimile of a begging dog. "The kitten made me chase it, Abuela and Daddy."

Maria laughed out loud, then frowned softly at his expression. Her baby's intelligence and imagination provided so much joy to her, and she hoped the pre school teacher appreciated how clever he was. Adults normally gravitated towards him because of his good looks, without realizing that he possessed a sharp mind. The instructor needed to understand that this child, Maria's bambino, possessed a sharp mind, also.

Gibbs rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hmmm…Puppy, I wish I knew where my little boy hid up there. He has to leave to go to his first day of school in…." he paused and turned to check the kitchen clock, "five minutes."

Tony jumped up and clapped, his face radiating his excitement. "Here he is, Daddy! I am the puppy and Tony!"

Gibbs and Maria laughed, and she beckoned, "Come, my little man, and let me check you before we go to Moppet."

He hurried down the stairs, little legs navigating the steps like a sprinter. He paused at the second from the bottom and launched himself into his father's arms.

Jethro kissed him when he caught him, then set him down. He tugged at the waistband of Tony's pants. "Tuck your shirt in like Daddy taught you. Remember that you have to unbuckle your belt."

Tony smiled angelically at Maria as he complied. "See, Abuela, I am muy handsome today. I like my clothes for the school. Estas son mis ropas nuevas de la escuela."

He pointed to his shirt, a blue plaid that matched his dark blue pants and reminded his father for the third time that morning, "I picked out my outfit, Daddy."

"You did, I remember," Gibbs agreed. He leaned down to help Tony with the snap on his waistband but Tony pushed away irritably.

"Stop, Daddy! I am not a wee lad! Let me fix my shirt all by myself." He puffed his lip out in a pout. "I go to school now and don't stay home like a baby."

"You are right," Jethro acquiesced, "I need to let you do that by yourself."

Maria interjected, "Bambino, did you use the bathroom just now when you went upstairs?"

Tony grinned sheepishly. "I forgot, Abuela. Lo siento, I am sorry."

"Go now," she ordered, pointing towards the stairs, and added, "do not forget to wash your hands."

He turned and raced back up the steps, and they watched him go with mixed feelings.

Barely five minutes later the little family made its way out the front door, Tony practically running in his excitement. They headed down the street towards Tony's pre school, swiftly passing one yard after another.

The little boy swung between the two adults, each of his tiny hands clasped in one of theirs, racing ahead a couple of steps, then giggling as they would lift him off the pavement to let him swing. Nearing the school he ordered seriously, "Stop, now, I have to get my bookbag ready. I must check that I have everything, todo."

The trio halted and Tony shrugged the backpack adorned with Sesame Street's Grover from his shoulders. He unzipped it hurriedly and peered inside, then grinned up at his father and grandmother. "It is all here. I have everything for school. Todo para la escuela ya esta aqui."

Maria and Jethro exchanged glances and Jethro shook his head before they began to walk again. Within a couple of minutes they joined a handful of other parents and children lining up to enter the daycare.


	2. Reality

Reality

Tony pointed at the decorations which framed the red bricked school's doors and windows and began to jump up and down. "That's Mother Goose by the roof. By the window there I see Jack and Jill and by the door is Humpty Dumpty. See Abuela? It is like in my books."

He did not allow time for her to answer. Glancing at the entrance he ordered excitedly as he yanked at their hands, "Let's go in now! Vamos!"

They ambled carefully inside and followed others through the short foyer. It ended in the large common room where children filed into tiny chairs as the adults made their way to line the wall, stationing themselves as observers.

Tony scampered into a seat between his best friend, Dylan, and Daisy, a higher functioning child with Down's Syndrome who lived in their neighborhood. He had played with both on numerous occasions and could not hide his delight that they, too, had enrolled.

Tony pulled up on the seat on his knees and turned to survey the back of the room, bouncing his little body. He smiled when he located Gibbs and Maria. His abuela blew him a kiss and he blew one back. His father motioned for him to turn to the front and Tony hurriedly obeyed, excited beyond belief at his introduction to school.

Today, this memorable opening day, the Director, Vanessa Hargrove, commenced with a general welcome.

The headmistress spoke just a few minutes as she explained school rules and pointed out the classrooms and restrooms, then described the schedule for the pre school morning. She concluded by instructing the little ones to hurry and say their good byes to the grown ups, then to line up to find the cubbyholes for their belongings located at the edge of the corridor.

Gibbs caught Tony as he ran up and grabbed his daddy around the knees. The agent kissed his son quickly on the top of his head, then used a finger to tilt up Tony's chin.

"I will be here to pick you up at lunch, Big Boy."

Tony nodded against him and whispered, "I will listen to the teacher and learn, Daddy, and then I will play with the boys and girls."

Then he turned loose and gave his father a dazzling smile.

Gibbs whispered, "That's right, Son, do what the teacher says."

Tony quickly raised his arms for Maria to pick him up. She did, clasping him securely to her, and he rested his head against her shoulder and reached up to caress her hair.

"I will be your good boy, Abuela, el buen muchacho, with good manners. I will be your handsome boy, too."

Maria kissed his forehead and ran her hand down his back, then brushed his bangs back, "Yes you will, Bambino. Now I will put you down and you will go to the line like your teacher said."

She set him down with a gentle smack to his bottom and he dashed off without a backwards glance, practically dancing his way to the other children.

Gibbs and Maria watched a minute or two more as the teacher led the little ones to their individual cubby places and hooks for jackets before they walked out of the door.

They made eye contact with each other and Maria shrugged, feeling a bit guilty that they still could not bring themselves to turn loose.

"I think we must leave the Bambino now."

Finally standing on the sidewalk they regarded each other sheepishly, both feeling as if they had been kicked in the stomach.

"That was traumatic," Gibbs observed, "really traumatic."

"For us, si," Maria agreed, wiping her eyes, "but Antonio does not miss us right now. He abandoned us quickly."

Linking arms, they turned and headed towards home, falling in step with Daisy's parents, as well as Dylan's mom. It appeared that all of the adults had rearranged work schedules to have this first childless morning free, to reconcile themselves to the idea that their babies had now integrated into the big kid world.

A couple of hours later the departure at the pre school mirrored the arrival activities, but in reverse. Gibbs stood patiently in the foyer with the other parents, watching as Tony joined the other children in packing his bookbag with papers and belongings.

Maria had waited at home, preparing lunch so her bambino could eat the moment he returned. She had her suspicions that whatever snack he had been given would do little to satisfy his voracious appetite. He would want his grandmama's food.

Surprisingly, the little boy did not run to greet his father, but walked slowly, grabbed his dad's hand, and demanded, "Take me home, Daddy. I don't want to be here anymore. I will run away from kindergarten now, and you will protect me!"

Taken aback at the order, Gibbs did not know how to respond. All he and Maria had heard for the past weeks had been Tony's observations about what activities he would do at school, how he would play with friends, and the ways that he would pay attention to his teacher. Something had upset him badly this first morning.

Maybe he missed his daddy and abuela and that had upset him.

Maybe they should not have agreed to let him attend the little nursery.

The little tyke was only four.

Walking beside his son and clutching his hand, Gibbs glanced at him over and over as they made their way home.

"You know Abuela is waiting at the house for you to hear all about your day, and Ducky and Mrs. Mallard will stop by to check on you this afternoon. We all want to hear about our big boy's first school day."

Tony did not rise to the occasion and respond to that, and his father noted his open pouting. Tony had puffed out his lip.

"Son, did you have a good day at all?" He ventured, at a loss as to what culprit could have upset Tony.

The child scowled and sped up, his little legs pumping to get a measurable distance away from the school. "I want to go to my house and not here. I will not go to this school any more, Daddy!"

Gibbs was shocked, but before he could question Tony they rounded the sidewalk for the last block of the journey. Tony spied Maria standing at the edge of their yard waiting for him, a smile wreathing her face when her baby appeared in the distance. He broke free from his daddy and rushed to her, his bookbag flying behind him. Maria held out her arms and he launched himself at her and threw his arms around her neck. Nuzzling, he stayed silent as she turned to take them inside, but caressed a handful of her hair.

Gibbs caught up as Tony leaned up to plant a kiss on Maria's cheek and observed decisively. "I will not go to school any more, Abuela mia. I will stay only with you now, solo le."

Maria tightened her grip on the child and glanced in bewilderment at Jethro, but he shrugged to show he was clueless to the cause of Tony's behavior.

The trio made its way inside and Maria set Tony down to go wash his hands for lunch while she put the meal on the table. When he returned his father settled him in his booster seat.

The adults waited for Tony to ask the blessing, a responsibility he took very seriously. Closing his eyes tightly and clasping his hands together he spoke firmly. "For the fruits of the earth and all of the blessings, Father we thank thee. Also, we thank thee because I will not go to that school any more. Amen."

Tony ate without his usual chatter, answering in monosyllables when the adults made queries designed to ascertain the trouble.

His silence disturbed the other two, but he refused to elaborate on his morning except to insist that he did not like the school, or his teacher for that matter, and that he would not go back.

Jethro cleaned the kitchen after lunch while Maria took Tony up for his nap. He insisted that she strip him of his school clothes and he changed into his play clothes before climbing into her lap and allowing her to rock him to sleep.

Jethro joined them within a few minutes. Tony lay sprawled in his abuela's arms and lap, one hand tangled in her hair. He transferred him to his bed and covered him before they made their way back downstairs, confused and disturbed about Tony's reaction to his first school day.


	3. Compromise

Compromise

Once he woke from his nap Tony played quietly the rest of the afternoon, but refused to elaborate upon his disappointing morning. He still insisted that he would not return to kindergarten.

Having taken the day off from NCIS, Gibbs puttered outdoors and in the basement for the remainder of the day. Tony helped him sweep in the basement, delighting in the pile of lumber shavings he gathered into a pile.

Maria sorted through some of the linens and made an inventory of what they had and what they needed. Tony burrowed underneath a stack of blankets she planned to give to the Salvation Army, and then giggled when she pulled him out by his foot, kissing him over and over as he came into view.

Ducky and Mrs. Mallard arrived at four with a yellow Tonka dumptruck Tony had long coveted. He displayed his first excitement since returning home, and ripped the cardboard off as quickly as he could. Once he had the truck released from the packaging he steered it in laps around the room as the adults chatted, sipping hot tea and coffee and watching Tony's imagination at work.

Half an hour later the doorbell rang, interrupting the chatter and truck noises. Doctor Mallard, on his way back from the kitchen, answered it and ushered in the visitor.

Surprised, Gibbs and Maria greeted Vanessa Hargrove, director of Tony's pre school, and introduced her to the Mallards.

Maria invited her to sit and hurried to get her a cup of coffee.

Crawling out from under the sofa's side table with his truck, the little boy identified the visitor and scowled, then hurried to the kitchen after Maria.

When his abuela returned to the living room, she had the cup of coffee in one hand, while Tony walked beside her, his arm wrapped around her leg for protection.

She extended the drink, then sat down herself, wiping her hands down her apron. She motioned the little boy towards his father, then crossed to the sofa and sat down herself.

Tony rearranged his position on the couch and climbed up to stand between where his daddy and his abuela sat.

The director seated herself gently on the edge of the recliner and balanced her cup and saucer on her knees.

"I am Vanessa Hargrove, director of Tony-" she paused, brushing a brunette curl behind one ear and smiled in his direction.

Tony slid down the sofa back to sit between Gibbs and Maria, carefully placing one arm and leg onto his father and the other arm and leg onto his abuela. Once satisfied that they protected him, he peeped up to watch, little lip quivering.

"I am director of Tony's school," she finished. "I needed to come by this afternoon because I know that Tony left Moppet today a very unhappy young man. I wanted the chance to talk to him, to see if we could make things a bit better."

She smiled sweetly at Tony.

He did not respond in kind, but slid further back on the sofa and reached up to put Maria's arm around him, then his dad's before announcing, "I will not go to your school."

An awkward silence followed with the adults looking quizzically at each other.

Mrs. Mallard appeared to have some inkling of the problem. She nodded at Tony and gestured, "Speak to her, Anthony."

Tony remained silent.

Victoria Mallard ordered more firmly, "Lad, speak to Ms. Hargrove at once."

Tony puffed his lip into a pout and mumbled obediently. "I will not go back to your kindergarten."

He leaned down and scratched a mosquito bite on his leg. Maria gently pulled his hand away.

Vanessa Hargrove nodded thoughtfully at Tony's response, then smiled sweetly at the child.

"I want you to reconsider, though, because we all want you to come back, Tony. You are a very smart boy, and your teachers and I would love to have you at the school with us."

Tony watched her from the safety of his seat between Jethro and Maria.

She considered Tony speculatively and continued. "Honey, I know you got very upset when Miss Melanie sent you to time out."

Gibbs and Maria turned to each other questioningly, then looked down at the child.

Vanessa continued. "You had been told, though, to climb down from the fence and you did not do what she said. Boys and girls always have to obey their teacher. That is why she gave you time out."

Ducky spoke then, "Anthony, why did you climb the fence at the school?"

"I wanted to run away and come home," Tony immediately admitted.

With that pronouncement, the adults seemed at a loss for words, but finally Ducky ordered gently, "Tell all of us why you did not want to stay at the school today, lad."

"Never," Tony responded. "I never will go there any more."

"Bambino, your friends go to the school, and they like it," Maria offered.

"You begged us to get to go there," Jethro added, trying to make sense of the child's words.

Tony began to tear, and irritably wiped at his eyes.

"Stop," Victoria Mallard ordered the adults, and a silence followed. "Let him explain what upset him to the point that he attempted to leave the school. He needs the chance to tell us personally, right, Ms. Hargrove?"

Vanessa nodded in agreement, wanting clarification as well. She smiled at Tony and spoke softly, "Please tell me, Tony."

Tony sat up straighter.

"Ok, then," Ducky repeated as he pulled off his glasses and wiped them on his shirt sleeve, "tell us what made you not want to go back, young Anthony."

Once Tony began to answer, the words came out in a fast, hurt tone, and he spoke and rubbed back tears as his explanation continued. When he finally stopped talking a couple of minutes later, he quickly stood up on the sofa and leaned his head onto his daddy's shoulder, then took his hand and gently rubbed his abuela's hair. He left little doubt that he felt hurt and badly treated.

The grown ups absorbed the intensity of the upset, and Ms. Hargrove scooted to the edge of her seat once again. She set her coffee cup on the side table and appealed to the little boy. "Tony, will you let me address some of what you just said? Will you let me kind of tell you where the misunderstandings came into play this morning?"

He did not respond at once, but looked for reassurance from Mrs. Mallard.

Victoria Mallard raised her eyebrows at him and prodded, "Anthony, answer her now. She deserves to understand the problem and what went badly today."

He nodded shyly to the director, and she smiled sympathetically. "The reason that the teacher stopped you from counting was because you were counting in both Spanish and English."

Tony raised his head, "She said I didn't count right," he corroborated, "but I said una, dos, three, four, five, six, siete, ocho, nueve, and ten. That is, too, correct."

Maria's eyebrows went up at once and she shifted so that she could face him, "Ah, Bambino, here I think that what the teacher wanted for you to do was speak just in English, to count only in English with the numbers."

"Why?" Tony scowled.

His abuela patted his leg. "Some of the boys and girls don't know Spanish."

"Why didn't she say to me to only speak English?"

Maria explained, "She did not know that you could speak Spanish also."

Vanessa elaborated, "I think she had not realized how smart you were, or that you spoke two languages. You are correct, though, that you thought you did what she said, so I guess from now on she can be more specific about what she would like you to say. Once we explain this to her, she might want you to teach the other children some Spanish."

Tony absorbed that, then frowned again at another point of contention. "I did not hurt the doll, either."

The director sighed heavily. "Honey, you know that you pulled off the dolly's head, and that it was Laura's toy."

The little boy looked at Ducky for support. His lip trembled in indignation. "Ducky, she said the baby was sick and would not wake up. I helped her and told her I would do the autopsy and say what killed it." He grinned.

Dr. Mallard smiled in return, "Very good, Tony-"

"I examined the heart, then that lady said I tore up Laura's toy, but I did not. I just did the autopsy." Sudden tears beaded his lashes at the injustice of the accusation.

Ducky scratched his chin and tried to explain. "Ah, Ms. Hargrove, that incident is my fault entirely, I assure you. The lad has often been subject to my lessons and lectures over anatomy. He has quite a grasp on the organs of the body and how they inter-relate, or should inter-relate. I am a medical examiner, you see."

Vanessa Hargrove opened her mouth in surprise, then closed it, the doll incident making sense to her finally. "It was an autopsy?"

"Yes, young Anthony wanted to find the cause of the doll's demise."

"Then," Tony continued in his wounded tone of voice, "Laura kept kissing me and I said to stop but she didn't. She said I was her boyfriend, but I am not. When we went outside to play she followed me when Dylan and I said no girls could come."

Jethro addressed that. "Son, it would be all right to be her boyfriend."

"No, Daddy," the little boy contradicted, "she got girl germs all on me and I told the teacher that she was a perp. The teacher said I called her names and I said I didn't call her a name I called her a perp." Tony's wounded pride drove his explanation.

Jethro cleared his throat at that, then took the blame. He regarded the director sheepishly. "I'm afraid he has picked up some of my work vocabulary. Around here we don't consider that a label as much as it's a description. The word perp, I mean-"

Maria interrupted in an attempt to clarify, "So you climbed the fence so that you could leave the school and come home?"

Tony nodded vigorously, relieved that his audience understood. "I wanted to run far away and come home."

Vanessa Hargrove stood up slowly and walked closer to the little boy. She knelt in front of him. "Now I am understanding where all the confusion came and how you would not want to go back to Moppet Academy after feeling that everything you did was wrong. I am just so sorry about that, Tony. All of this just should not have happened. Please, though, give us another chance. We would love to have you return to school the day after tomorrow, and I promise you I will speak to your teachers before then, and explain things. I know that Dylan and Daisy and the rest of your friends want you to return, as well."

Tony did not answer, but nodded in acknowledgement that he had heard her.

Vanessa continued, her voice suddenly firm, "I will say, though, that you are not allowed to climb the fence or to go out the school's door without permission- ever. That is a really big rule at Moppet, and breaking it will get you into a bunch of trouble, like it did today."

Tony nodded again, squirming a bit as he accepted the reprimand.

She concluded the visit then by bidding everyone good bye. Tony waved to her as Jethro got up and walked her to the door.

When he returned he focused on his little boy. "How do you feel now, Son? Did that make it better?"

"Yes," Mrs. Mallard spoke, "it was very generous of Ms. Hargrove to visit. She obviously cares about you, and it worried her that you had not enjoyed the day."

"There were many misunderstandings about the morning, lad," Ducky added.

Mrs. Mallard leaned towards him, "Anthony, sometimes grown ups make mistakes, too. She wanted to let you understand that."

Maria pulled him up on her lap and brushed back his bangs, then kissed the tip of his nose. "Today you were a clever boy at the school when you counted and tried to help Laura. The only thing wrong that you did today was trying to leave without permission. This will get you into big trouble. Leaving like that is a no no, and had better never happen again- no de Nuevo."

Jethro sat down beside them, and lifted Tony's chin to get his undivided attention. He spoke in the voice he used when Tony misbehaved. "Absolutely! When Abuela or I leave you with someone we expect you to stay there until we come get you, or until they bring you to us. That keeps you safe. At not time, and for no reason, should you try to leave by yourself. Do you understand what we are saying?"

Tony nodded and his eyes filled.

Jethro remained firm though, and elaborated. "If you ever try to leave on your own like you did at the school today I will put you across my lap and spank your bottom."

Tony responded quickly then, not wanting his father to contemplate his transgression of today, or a spanking, any longer. "I understand you, Daddy. I will not leave any more without permission. I do not want you to spank me."

Maria added, "Si, and Bambino, there will be no warning count of one, then two and three with this. We want you safe always."

Jethro kissed the top of his son's head and smelled the scent of the shampoo Maria had used on him the night before.

He pulled him off Maria's lap and swung him into the air, making Tony giggle. "Do you feel happier now, about kindergarten?"

"Yes, will you go back and give it another try?" Ducky prodded.

Jethro set Tony on the floor and the child regarded his audience with a huge smile. He spun himself in a circle, then stopped to regard the adults with some seriousness.

"Okay, I will go back, and then you can bring me more presents because I go to kindergarten."

Everyone laughed.

Tony gave them a beaming smile. "Now do you want me to tell you what I learned in school today?"


End file.
